Quintet for Piano, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon
Adolph Baron Lauer von Münchofen (born 23 May 1796, died 4 January 1874) came from an old noble family. His professional career was in the Prussian army, from which he retired in 1856 with the rank of major general. Musically, he ranks among the finest amateurs in the best sense of the word; he studied with the pianist and composer Wilhelm Schneider.
As a composer, Adolph von Lauer enjoyed exceptional acclaim in his day. His opera “Rose, die Müllerin” (Rose, the Miller’s Daughter) received its premiere at the Royal Theatre in Berlin on 16 April 1820. The Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung wrote of it in 1820 (translated): “… The music of an excellent amateur gives reason to hope for much that is pleasing in the future; lovely melodies and unencumbered instrumentation reveal heartfelt feeling and refined taste …”
He was equally successful in chamber and sacred music. On 17 February 1852, his Requiem for soloists, chorus and orchestra, dedicated to the memory of Prince Waldemar of Prussia, was performed at the Royal Playhouse (Schauspielhaus) in Berlin. He was a member of the Younger Berlin Liedertafel (men’s choral society) and an honorary member of the Potsdam Liedertafel.
The Piano Quintet in F major for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon, presented here in its first printed edition, was written between 1820 and 1830. The composition clearly reflects the development of instrument making: the horn part is still written for the valveless natural horn (Inventionshorn), and the piano part frequently marks octave-doubled bass notes, since instruments with such a wide range could not yet be taken for granted.
